Long Sin, meanwhile, had started to work his way through the bushes to reach the waiting car, with Wu, then paused and listened. Hearing no sound, he replaced the helmet which he had taken off.
Pursuit was now useless for us. With revolvers drawn, we crept back along the passageway until we came again to the chamber itself. There, on the floor, lay a bag of tools, opened, as though somebody had been working with them.
"Caught red-handed!" exclaimed Kennedy with great satisfaction.
He looked at the tools a minute and then at the electric drill, and finally an idea seemed to strike him. He took up the drill and advanced toward the safe. Then he turned on the current and applied the drill.
The drill was of the very latest design and it went quickly through the steel. But beyond that there was another thin steel partition. This Kennedy tackled next.
The drill went through and he withdrew it.
Instantly the most penetrating and nauseous odor seemed to pervade everything.
Kennedy cried out. But his warning was too late. We staggered back, overcome by the escaping gas and fell to the ground.
. . . . . . .
Long Sin, with his oxygen helmet on again, had returned to the passageway and was now stealthily creeping back.